Acclaimed Music Top 25 from 1981 poll

and "Tainted Love"! and "Tempted"! and "We Got The Beat"! and motherfucking "Super Freak"! i'll stop.

Was Pull Up To The Bumper a hit in the US?

Not much on radio iirc. Big in dance clubs.

(tie) Laurie Anderson: "O Superman"/"Walk the Dog" (One, Ten/Warner Bros.) 56
The Rolling Stones: "Start Me Up" (Rolling Stones) 56
3. Grandmaster Flash: "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (Sugarhill) 44
4. Kim Carnes: "Bette Davis Eyes" (EMI America) 39
(tie) Yoko Ono: "Walking on Thin Ice" (Geffen) 39 *
6. Tom Tom Club: "Genius of Love" (Sire) 36
7. Pete Shelley: "Homosapien" (Genetic import) 31
(tie) Soft Cell: "Tainted Love"/"Where Did Our Love Go?" (Sire) 31
9. Funky Four Plus One: "That's the Joint" (Sugarhill) 28
10. Prince: "Controversy" (Warner Bros.) 27
11. Grace Jones: "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Island) 26
12. Taana Gardner: "Heartbeat" (West End) 24
(tie) Billy Idol With Generation X: "Dancing With Myself" (Chrysalis) 24 *
(tie) Teena Marie: "Square Biz" (Gordy) 24
(tie) Frankie Smith: "Double Dutch Bus" (WMOT) 24
16. Go-Go's: "Our Lips Are Sealed" (I.R.S.) 23
17. Smokey Robinson: "Being With You" (Tamla) 22
18. Rick James: "Super Freak" (Gordy) 21
19. Rosanne Cash: "Seven Year Ache" (Columbia) 20
20. New Order: "Ceremony" (Factory) 18
21. Bob Dylan: "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar" (Columbia) 17
22. The Pointer Sisters: "Slow Hand" (Planet) 14
(tie) The Police: "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (A&M) 14
24. Squeeze: "Tempted" (A&M) 13
25. Gang of Four: "To Hell With Poverty" (EMI import) 12
(tie) Deniece Williams: "Silly"

Not a one of those singles is less than good.

Yeah, wiki says "Bumper" didn't chart. First glance at this list I kinda knew it was going to be between Dare and Computerworld for most folks. I like both of those, and Red, but I can't front: I spun Beauty and the Beat way more than anything else on this list.

RUSH

Voted Go Go's only because I didn't see the Furs there before I submitted. Woulda been neck 'n' neck though.

Kind of wish that I'd given a vote to Ghost in the Machine now. Probably my favourite thing they did, think the synths work really well on it and remarkably for a Police album, it only has one total clunker.

Wow - that singles list! A much better year for singles than for albums, IMO.

Kind of wish that I'd given a vote to Ghost in the Machine now. Probably my favourite thing they did, think the synths work really well on it and remarkably for a Police album, it only has one total clunker.

which is..?

I too really love this album and wish more people would show some respect!!

this would have been a big fight between Juju and Faith had they made the list

good thing for Talk Talk Talk they didn't

oh man, had Controversy been on the table I probably would have had a fit and not voted

me if Controversy had been in the poll:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42816000/jpg/_42816269_stefan_rat_india203.jpg

1981 = one of my favourite ever years for music. And man, was this fucking difficult. I went for Dare in the end, but it could have been any number of albums on that list.

not cool, Alf

which is..?

Have always hated Rehumanise Yourself, that kind of wacky tune is a bit of a throwback to their earlier stuff and doesn't really sit that well with the other tracks imo

Had to go with Soft Cell. That album has been my #1 stress reliever all year, even ahead of wine.

quite a drop in quality from the previous two years' lists imho

Black Flag all the way tho

I like Talk Talk Talk, Street Songs, B&TB, Tattoo You, Hammersmith and Wild Gift but I don't feel super strongly about any

there's a time i would have voted human league but the tracks between the first three and last three are just too blah

Kraftwerk > Black Flag > Human League

correction:

Kraftwerk > Neubauten > Black Flag > Human League

there's a time i would have voted human league but the tracks between the first three and last three are just too blah

― da croupier, Friday, June 15, 2012 10:04 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

What? You're putting 'Darkness' and 'I Am The Law' into that pigeonhole?

hate to be boring, but this is Computer World

But Heaven in Here is great, too!

UP HERE

What? You're putting 'Darkness' and 'I Am The Law' into that pigeonhole?

haha well I skip "Darkness" too. My favorite album track is still "Seconds."

actually I meant "Do or Die" for the crazy synth breakdowns.

Going to be hard to not vote for Moving Pictures but Neubauten, King Crimson, and Birthday Party are all classics. Interested in hearing all of Eno/Byrne, Police, Rickie Lee Jones, Elvis Costello.

listening to Computer World for the first time ever, what can i say this was before my time.

Wow, this is some incredible stuff and i'm only like 2 minutes into the first song...

wait ok, i know the song "Pocket Calculator."

this is really cool, i need to explore Kraftwerk a bit more!

"Computer Love" is hitting all the right spots right now. this stuff i right up my alley. incredible.

i is

I dont know whats the consensus on these polls but I like them. Some odd choices here and there and at least one album you mildly care about.

Also voting kraftwerk because it blows my mind that this album is 30 years old.

Where any of you there? I imagine it sounded gimmicky for many of its listeners back then and only a few ones could visualize the scope and potential behind it.

at first it sounded a bit gimmicky - as did "autobahn" on FM radio in the 70s - but repeated exposure to CW tracks on club dancefloors and subsequent use by and influence on afrika bambaataa et al made me realize its scope and potential. my critical line on this album: "the sgt. pepper of 80s R&B"

it's got a good beat and you can dance to it i give it a 10

Does that make 1999 the Abbey Road?

What? You're putting 'Darkness' and 'I Am The Law' into that pigeonhole?

'I Am the Law' is the only song on Dare I don't love (I'm not crazy about 'Get Carter' either but that's more of a jingle).

Computer Love was played on the radio here quite a bit (think it was a double-A with The Model or something?) and didn't sound gimmicky at all in the context of Einstein A Go Go and some of the other electrocheese that was being played that year - if anything it sounded rather stately in comparison. Such a dreamy song. Didn't hear the whole album though then, I was ten or something.

Ok, cant' resist. The '1981' box I put together and shipped to people mostly via ILM is almost a decade old itself, now. Reading this thread makes me relive how fun the mixes (if not the actual boxes) were to put together:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/2624950152_929afbeff8.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/2624126255_1b98c4d1d3.jpg

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/00_1981-feet_1981_cover-small
1 9 8 1 | Feet

01 British Electronic Foundation – Rise of the East (1981) (2:50)
02 Bush Tetras – You Can’t Be Funky (1981) (2:42)
03 Heaven 17 – We’re Going To Live (Edit) (1981) (2:50)
04 Foxx, John – Europe After the Rain (1981) (4:01)
05 Dome – D-D-Bo (1981) (3:50)
06 23 Skidoo – Last Words (1981) (3:38)
07 ESG – UFO (1981) (2:55)
08 Gang of Four – What We All Want (1981) (4:58)
09 Rip Rig Panic – How Caged Bird (1981) (3:32)
10 Logic, Lora – Wonderful Offer (1981) (3:07)
11 Mekons – St Patrick’s Day (1981) (2:36)
12 Newman, Colin – Alone (1981) (3:57)
13 Kraftwerk – Numbers (1981) (3:25)
14 Liquid Liquid – Zero Leg (1981) (2:31)
15 Massacre – Gate (1981) (2:37)
16 Family Fodder – Film Music (1981) (4:09)
17 Goat that Went Om – The Pirate Song (1981) (1:50)
18 Dif Juz – Diselt (1981) (2:39)
19 This Heat – Paper Hats (Edit) (1981) (5:24)
20 Trio – Danger Is (1981) (2:15)
21 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – The New Stone Age (1981) (3:22)
22 Pigbag – Sunny Day (Edit) (1981) (3:53)
23 Public Image Ltd – Flowers of Romance (1981) (2:51)
24 YMO – Light in Darkness (1981) (3:40)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/2988481177_0e8cee6c34.jpg
1 9 8 1 | Convertible

01 Young Marble Giants – Final Day (1981) [1:43]
02 Orange Juice – Poor Old Soul (1981) [2:29]
03 Martha & The Muffins – This Is the Ice Age (1981) [4:06]
04 Altered Images – Happy Birthday (1981) [3:01]
05 The Church- Too Fast For You (1981) [3:33]
06 Scritti Politti – The Sweetest Girl (1981) [4:09]
07 Romeo Void – Myself To Myself (1981) [3:46]
08 Barracudas – Don’t Let Go (1981) [3:28]
09 The dB’s- Black and White (1981) [3:09]
10 Go-Go’s – Our Lips Are Sealed (1981) [2:45]
11 Magazine – The Honeymoon Killers (1981) [3:39]
12 Suburbs – Spring Came (1981) [3:18]
13 Marine Girls – Tonight (1981) [1:22]
14 Pretenders – Message of Love (1981) [3:07]
15 Necessaries – More Real (1981) [2:48]
16 The Teardrop Explodes – Falling Down Around Me (1981) [3:08]
17 Squeeze – Is That Love (1981) [2:31]
18 The Go Betweens – Your Turn, My Turn (1981) [3:03]
19 Robyn Hitchcock – Love (1981) [4:34]
20 The Stranglers – Golden Brown (1981) [3:28]
21 The Ramones – It’s Not My Place (1981) [3:23]
22 XTC – Respectable Street (1981) [3:40]
23 Pylon – Crazy (1981) [3:13]
24 Elvis Costello – Strict Time (1981) [2:42]
25 REM – Radio Free Europe (1981) [3:49]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/3019111928_f7102d44cc.jpg
1 9 8 1 | Brain

01 Art Bears – Truth [2:55]
02 The Birthday Party – Cry [2:41]
03 Glenn Branca – Structure [3:04]
04 Klaus Nomi – The Twist [3:06]
05 Ex, The – Weapons for El Salvador [2:43]
06 Flying Lizards – Hands 2 Take [4:06]
07 Negativland – Dearmary [1:49]
08 New Age Steppers – Crazy Dreams & High Ideas [2:58]
09 Lemon Kittens – Kites [3:29]
10 Trio – Kummer [2:40]
11 Pere Ubu – Lonesome Cowboy Dave [1:52]
12 The Residents – Would We Be Alive [3:20]
13 Matt Johnson – The River Flows East In Spring [1:33]
14 Eyeless in Gaza – The Decoration [2:45]
15 Einstürzende Neubauten – Abstieg & Zerfall [4:28]
16 Fire Engines – Candyskin [2:54]
17 Section 25 – Hit [2:50]
18 Crass – Bata Motel [3:28]
19 Liaisons Dangereuses – Aperitif De La Mort [1:37]
20 Crash Course in Science – Factory Forehead [3:00]
21 Foetus – Thank Heaven for Push Button Phones [4:26]
22 Cabaret Voltaire – A Touch Of Evil [1:52]
23 Chrome – Planet Strike [2:25]
24 DNA – Blonde Red Head [1:52]
25 Clock DVA – 4 Hours [3:52]
26 Homosexuals – Nursery Chymes [2:40]
27 Wim Mertins – Multiple 12 [1:00]
28 This Heat – Makeshift Swahili [3:54]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/3076820555_a731cf0a0d.jpg
1 9 8 1 | Amplifier

01 The Embarrassment – Celebrity Art Party [3:06]
02 Minutemen – Straight Jacket [0:57]
03 The Replacements – Johnny’s Gonna Die [3:24]
04 Flesh Eaters – Pray Til You Sweat [2:36]
05 Black Flag – Louie Louie [1:19]
06 Stiff Little Fingers – The Only One [4:18]
07 Mx-80 – Cover To Cover [2:42]
08 Meat Puppets – Big House [1:06]
09 Agent Orange – Too Young To Die [2:04]
10 The Saints – Paradise [2:56]
11 Buzzcocks – I Look Alone [3:01]
12 Empire – All These Things [3:15]
13 Secret Hate – New Routines-Suicide [1:26]
14 The Gordons – Coalminers Song [5:43]
15 Virgin Prunes – Twenty Tens [2:27]
16 The Cramps – Green Fuz [2:06]
17 Minor Threat – Straight Edge [0:45]
18 100 Flowers – Reject Yourself [2:34]
19 The Undertones – Julie Ocean [1:46]
20 Bad Brains – Pay To Cum [1:30]
21 Flipper – Ha Ha Ha [2:13]
22 Mission of Burma – Fame and Fortune [3:35]
23 Gun Club – Goodbye Johnny [3:45]
24 Josef K – Crazy To Exist [2:57]
25 Swimming Pool Q’s – Rat Bait [2:21]
26 Dead Kennedys – Nazi Punks Fuck Off [0:59]
27 Au Pairs – Love Song [2:52]
28 Wipers – When It’s Over [6:36]
29 X – Adult Books [3:19]
30 Zoomers – Give Your Heart [2:13]

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/00_1981-heart_1981_coversmall.jpg
1 9 8 1 | Heart

01 Cure, The – All Cats Are Grey [5:24]
02 Passions – Alice’s Song [3:13]
03 Depeche Mode – Any Second Now (Voices) [2:35]
04 Durutti Column – The Missing Boy [6:38]
05 Costello, Elvis & The Attractions – Gloomy Sunday [3:15]
06 MX-80 – Promise of Love [4:40]
07 Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime (Edit) [3:22]
08 New Order – Doubts Even Here [4:20]
09 Shelley, Pete – It’s Hard Enough Knowing (Edit) [2:50]
10 Sound, The – Winning [4:18]
11 Japan – Ghosts [4:34]
12 This Heat – A New Kind Of Water [5:02]
13 Raincoats – Only Loved At Night [3:30]
14 Gist – Love at First Sight [3:42]
15 Numan, Gary – Dance [2:45]
16 Psychedelic Furs – No Tears [3:16]
17 Gang of Four – Paralysed [3:23]
18 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Romance Of The Telescope [3:19]
19 Ultravox – Rage In Eden [4:12]
20 Weekend – Nostalgia (Demo) [5:21]

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/1981_individual-mixes_cassettesmall.jpg
1 9 8 1 | Cassette

01 Clean, The – Billy Two [2:22]
02 Fall, The – Lie Dream of a Casino Soul [3:09]
03 Dow Jones & The Industrials – Ladies With Appliances [2:22]
04 Ludus – Mutilate [2:33]
05 Nervous Gender – Fat Cow [2:37]
06 49 Americans – Love at first sight [1:23]
07 Plasticland – Office Skills [1:43]
08 Beakers, The – Four Steps Toward A Cultural Revolution [1:29]
09 Felt – Something Sends Me to Sleep [2:54]
10 Work – Duty [1:02]
11 Fall of Saigon – Blue Eyes [2:00]
12 Blackouts, The – Dead Man’s Curve [3:26]
13 Scapa Flow – Somewhere [2:41]
14 Dancing Cigarettes – Mr Morse [1:23]
15 Amoebas In Chaos – Designer Genes [1:28]
16 Tall Dwarfs – All My Hollowness to You [2:20]
17 Monitor – Amphibious [3:04]
18 Dolphins – She Took a Long Cold Look [1:20]
19 Blue Orchids – Bad Education [2:28]
20 Watt, Ben – Departure [1:34]
21 Neonbabies – Profi [3:20]
22 Voice Farm – AM City [1:31]
23 Laughing Apple – Wouldn’t You [2:16]
24 Social Climbers – Hello Texas [2:09]
25 Der Plan – Das Insekt [1:30]
26 Biting Tongues – Reflector [2:40]
27 Flux of Pink Indians – Sick Butchers [2:27]
28 Aztec Camera – Lost Outside The Tunnel [3:29]
29 Diagram Brothers – Bricks [2:43]
30 Human Switchboard – I Used to Believe in You [3:56]
31 Half Japanese – My Knowledge Was Wrong [0:55]
32 Television Personalities – This Angry Silence [2:38]
33 Philosophic Collage – Toxic Poppies [1:32]
34 Violent Femmes – Waiting For The Bus (Demo) [2:07]
35 Thick Pigeon – Silhouettes [3:23]

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/1981-computer1.jpg
1 9 8 1 | Computer

01 Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough [3:39]
02 Devo – Working In a Coal Mine [2:49]
03 Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft – Der Mussolini (Edit) [2:26]
04 Thomas Dolby – Europa & The Pirate Twins [3:21]
05 Associates – White Car in Germany (Edit) [3:28]
06 Eurythmics – Take Me To Your Heart [3:35]
07 Heaven 17 – The Height of the Fighting [3:00]
08 Plastics – Diamond Head [3:18]
09 Yello – Bostich (Edit) [2:11]
10 New Musik – Areas [1:02]
11 Human League – The Things that Dreams Are Made Of (Edit) [3:39]
12 Manuel Gottsching – E2 E4 (Excerpt) [1:50]
13 Duran Duran – Girls on Film [3:27]
14 Tuxedomoon – Incubus (Blue Suit) [3:46]
15 Gary Numan – Stories [3:10]
16 The Blue Nile – I Love This Life [3:46]
17 Chris & Cosey – This Is Me [2:55]
18 Moev – Cracked Mirror (Edit) [3:34]
19 Cybotron – Alleys Of Your Mind [3:32]
20 The Buggles – Blue Nylon [2:26]
21 Soft Cell – Tainted Love [2:38]
22 Cars – Shake It Up (Edit) [2:54]
23 Classix Nouveaux – 623 [2:25]
24 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Sacred Heart [3:30]
25 Kraftwerk – Computer Love (Edit) [4:16]

http://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/1981-fire.jpg
1 9 8 1 | F i r e

01 A Certain Ratio – Waterline [3:36]
02 New Order – Chosen Time [4:07]
03 Fad Gadget – Make Room (Edit) [3:18]
04 Fun Boy Three – The Lunatics [3:12]
05 David Byrne – The Red House [3:22]
06 Creatures – But Not Them [3:20]
07 Raybeats – Calhoun Surf [1:53]
08 Suburbs – Tired of My Plans [3:33]
09 David Thomas – Crickets in the Flats [4:59]
10 Killing Joke – Butcher (Edit) [3:12]
11 Japan – Talking Drum [3:33]
12 The B-52′s – Give Me Back My Man (Remix) (Edit) [3:04]
13 Lizzy Mercier-Descloux – Room Mate [2:44]
14 The Beat – Too Nice To Talk To [3:08]
15 Lounge Lizards – Do The Wrong Thing [2:39]
16 INXS – Stay Young [3:24]
17 Prince – Controversy [3:28]
18 Talking Heads – Houses in Motion (Edit) [2:51]
19 Bauhaus – Of Lillies & Remains (Edit) [2:51]
20 The Specials – Ghost Town (Edit) [3:47]
21 Tom Tom Club – Genius of Love [4:02]
22 Wire – Midnight Bahnhof Cafe (Edit) [2:38]
23 Family Fodder – Emergency [2:39]
24 Raincoats – Shouting Out Loud [4:54]

1 9 8 1 | I c e

01 Holger Czukay – Fragrance (Edit) [3:16]
02 Jerry Harrison – Worlds In Collision [5:03]
03 Comsat Angels – Restless [3:16]
04 Selecter – Their Dream Goes On [3:42]
05 Gun Club – Promise Me [2:37]
06 ESG – You’re No Good [3:12]
07 Siouxsie & The Banshees – Into the Light [4:15]
08 Laurie Anderson – O Superman [8:21]
09 Phew – Fragment (Edit) [2:37]
10 Honeymoon Killers – Histoire a Suivre [3:05]
11 The Del-Byzanteens – Girl’s Imagination [6:44]
12 Was (Not Was) – Oh, Mr. Friction [3:32]
13 Brian Eno & David Byrne – A Secret Life [2:30]
14 Echo & The Bunnymen – All My Colours [4:03]
15 Material – Square Dance [4:27]
16 Ryuichi Sakamoto – Kachakuchane (Edit) [2:50]
17 Grace Jones – Nightclubbing [5:04]
18 The Slits – Earthbeat (Peel Session) (Edit) [5:44]
19 Robert Wyatt – Born Again Cretin [3:06]
20 Delta 5 – Different Fur [2:37]

Amazing mix. Not many people would dig deep enough to pull out an unheralded cut by Jerry Harrison, for example!

Agreed. That's the dopest thing posted in some time.

Soundslike that is completely awesome, makes me wish i was around back in the day...

"Tin Drum" is the obvious pick here.

Thanks, guys. You can't go wrong, with music that good. Bee OK, the mixes are available for download at the links provided (mix titles). Amazingly, I got requests for a copy of the box trickling in for years--sadly I don't even have a copy myself anymore.

Aw that is sad

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

thanks for telling me about those links Soundslike, looking very forward to hearing this.

Moka-- I had hopes to treat 1979 in a similar fashion, or maybe 1971. But the project was made when I was young, had just broken up with someone, had disposable income and free time. None of those things is true, nine years on from when it started : )

However, there are some "post-punk miniatures" mixes on that blog, as well as a number of other post-punk related mixes. The 'Le Tour du Monde' mixes are sort of like these, but for three-or-four year periods, and focused on the '70s.

High five back atcha, Phil D. Also happy to see Grace Jones got a couple votes; I played that record more than most on this list.

so proud of ILX right now

I'm listening to Talk Talk Talk for the nth time this morning.

This one's tough. DAMAGED or DARE? Yang or Yin?

This box - one of my fave things ever.

Hearing Family Fodder for the first time was like - !!!